Published: Thursday - May 25, 2006
Words by Larry "Scribe" Degale
Ruff Ryder's Waah and Dee (Photo: Ruff Ryders)
Let's take it back to 1997, specifically, everything post April of that year. The game lost B.I.G., leaving New York with one of it's greatest representatives snuffed out. Hip-hop was in a tailspin, even the hardcore loyalist hip-hop fan referred to the game as "rap." People were discouraged, things were in shambles, radio was in park, record companies were left in limbo, the streets were miffed and hip-hop was clearly on a wobbly leg. Before that, the world lost Tupac Shakur in the latter part of 1996 and that pain never fully got a chance to disappate, before we all had to endure B.I.G.'s passing. These men were not part of anyone's army per se, but they fought the wars that are propagated to stimy the intelligent growth of the music that we call hip-hop.
Although New York was still mourning, we had to move on. The shock of it all was clearly evident on radio, TV and in the magazines. By that summer, things had to heat up. A movement was brewing quietly, and while some took notice, others just dismissed the early buzz. After a short while, it became evident that the "new" sound that we were hearing, would not be muffled. Hip-hop was moving away from the darkness, not forgetting the last 12 months...just shifting away from the negative energy. In a town just North of the Bronx, New York, there was music being created. There was a new energy. There was a movement towards something that had not really been heard. They had numbers, they had energy, they had focus, they had the ears now and most of all, they had a few voices. Let's go back to 1997, not where it all started for them, but the year that you started to take notice and give it up. "Stop, Drop, Shut 'em Down...open up Shop!!!" Yes, it was the year of the Ruff Ryders.
Ballerstatus got a chance to mix it up and chop it down with both Dee and Waah Dean, CEOs of the Ruff Ryders family. These two brothers are not only that of kin, but figuratively too. In a rather candid interview, the co-founders of the Double R got down and discussed to the science of the game, the inner movements of the industry and their goals/aspirations for the coming year.
As they gear up to release two highly-anticipated albums for '06 (DMX's Year Of The Dog and Styles P's Time Is Money), the CEO pair are already looking to the immediate future for the other artists on the roster. "We got the L.O.X album, which we're working on right now," Waah explained to BallerStatus.com. "That'll be out this year!! Drag's album is going to get put out; Kiss is in the lab...we're going to put out like 5 or 6 albums between now and the beginning of next year."
With a hefty lineup like this, everyone has to believe in the artistry and timing scenario. Reflecting on 1997, which is still the Ruff Ryder's most productive year to date, Waah explained their plan to introduce the new generation of kids to the new blood they have on deck today. But, how will they regain their listenership and legacy? "We're going to put out great music, new projects...just to let them see our new point of view," said Waah. "This new generation of kids and artists that are not familiar with us from '97, they'll see where we're coming from. That is how we will birth this new situation, with some new blood. We have ventures with the many different labels that we do business with. We will embrace it all, so when we drop the domino affect program -- rebirthing the 'R' with the old blood. It will bring us into our new light, right into 2007 and 2008. We're going in on some new blood, new scheme and new strings of artists."
Hey, all that sounds good and all, but how can you compete? In a discussion about the state of hip-hop and how radio is only interested in dumbed down sounds, catchy hooks and corny rhythyms, Dee chimes it immediately with, "We look at it like this: the music that's out right now...everything has a time span. You can only fool the people for so long. We understand that. You probably got a 4-5 year run, so in reality, there's maybe one year left. We're not here to go totally against it, because you can't. You have to evaluate yourself and see where you fit. Their (the listeners) ears are already poisoned with it; they got it all in their brains."
So, is it the Ruff Ryder's time to shine? According to Dee, it's all about taking the listener away from the "hot club track" and back to the lyricist, which is exactly what the RR are planning to do.
"We had to kind of look at how we could touch this generation a little differently," Dee tells BallerStatus. "We had to cater a little to them. It's not saying that we have to go South. We have to represent what we are, where we are, so we will never stray away. The music that's out now, is not nearly as hard as it was when we were out. I used to be able to quote a cat's whole song. I can't quote no one's song right now, maybe only the chorus. You really don't have to be a hot spitter right now. Everybody is used to a hot beat and a chorus, so we're going to give them that and a lyricist on top of that. This whole generation is different today."
Delving deeper into current hip-hop trends, Dee and Waah's conversation took a turn toward a solution to the madness. Is a rebirth of the game possible?
"You got to rebirth it, take what they already have and what you have and make it bigger than what it is right now. It's going to take a special formula to pull that off," said Dee.
"The consumers can be easily brainwashed too," added Waah. "A lot of them are followers. They listen to what's on the airwaves and consider it hot. The sounds and videos are played so often that you 'learn' to love it. Next thing you know, that's your joint."
Why is it like this? What's the driving force behind these actions? Of course, it comes down to money, but what about it makes these label executives starve the listeners of their rights to a fair ear of the market? Dee and Waah both weigh in on the politics of the game and how it affects radio and the artist themselves.
"They way the game is now, you have to go with the plan," Waah further explains. "They (the media and other outlets, up to and including the labels) tell you what's hot and what's not going to be hot. If I am not cooperating with their plans, then they got ways to make you not look that hot. This game is all funny, it's all political. These dudes are paying you what their bosses are telling them to pay you, otherwise they'll lose their jobs. When someone brings something hot to the radio, it may get some burn, but after a time, they won't play it. Most times, they'll take their time, because it's not in the plans. Before in hip-hop, if it was hot, it got spot. NY radio was always known for that. They were all rollin' with you. The DJ's and radios were for that, now...it's all about the budgets, how much they are getting and my boss says don't play that, because it's not on his agenda."
So, how can these types of things be changed? Well, according to Dee, the entire system has to be reformatted, or like they suggested earlier, a rebirth. DJs have to be replaced, same with artists and payola needs to be done away with.
"In order to change things, you'll have to change the entire system," said Dee. "You will not only have to change the rappers, but also the DJ's...they're artists now. Now, you have a whole bunch of people doing what they're not supposed to -- taking pay-offs. It's nothing genuine about it. They'll play whatever they get paid to spin. If you go in there and pay whatever and get 50 spins, that translates."
As far the the CEO duo's label is concerned, there are rumors of a new distribution home. The major deal is already in place, but there are some residual deals left undecided or concreted. In coming weeks, talks will surface again and announcements will be made regarding the matter. But, one certainy you can count on, is that the Ruff Ryders will stay on their indie grind.
"Ruff Ryders is a label that has been here for many years," says Waah. "We're really independent. Win, lose or draw, we put our blood, sweat and tears into this. No one is walking away with our work. We're a family, there is a fight ahead of us. We are self contained. They way they they've designed the game, they want to keep us off balance. I wanted to put out ['I'm Black' by Styles P] on Black History Month, to launch his album, but I got backlash and resistance for it. I go through so much and It puts me in a lot of f---ed up situations, because I'm independent thinking."
Currently, the Ruff Ryders are not exclusive to any one label, and this allows them to work with several different labels to release music. The practice has always been one of their strongest qualities allowing them to stand knee deep in the game. "Right now, we're keeping our lines open, we do business with everyone, but are exclusive to nobody," explained Waah. "We're in the struggle, but our contracts are valid. Our business is a brand that is recognized all over the world, without us being bought and selling out as puppets. We can see that we're in the matrix. We don't really surface and talk a lot, because it's a great deal of politics, but once we're in our own space, the truth will reveal itself."
From running a label to dealing with the artists, Waah and Dee also have their fair share of problems. For example, the D-Block/G-Unit beef. Where were the pair of RR CEOs during the heated exchange of diss songs? They were standing neutral and dismiss it as being anything more than rap.
"We're like the parents of this; we are neutral," says Waah. "We can go to whoever and speak to people. We can moreso handle the situation. If we want, we can go to Jimmy [Iovine] and see where it's at. Right now, as you can see, it's kind of quieted down. We don't look at it like beef, it's just rap.
"We always try to diffuse it, when we see it may go somewhere that you cannot move away from. Everyone out there knows we burn that on cue. I'd rather keep things cool. It's never really the artists that get it. You'll see sh-- jump off and the next thing you know, you got all these 'Laffy Taffy' n----s all over the floor (he says laughing). We got relationships with everyone, we're not out there to burn bridges," continued Waah.
"With this beef with Kiss and 50, my brother and I went and talked to 50. It's not a problem if you are who you say you are. Real recognize real. We left with a good understanding. We're not going to disrespect you, but we're not going to let you disrepect us either. We know how to move and be regular people, even with money," adds Dee.
Changes are brewing, no one ever said that the Ryde to the top would be easy. In Waah and Dee's case, it was a hard road to the top, and even today, they are still trying to reclaim the unfinished success they left in the '90s. There is plenty of Ruff road ahead and time will tell if the Ruff Ryders can return to the glory they once had.
Features Joe Budden: I Do It For Hip-Hop It's 2008, and guess what, Joe Budden is still here. Normally when a rapper endures personal tragedies, and label disputes, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
